p/hop

Pennies per hour per pleasure is an initiative being run by Medecins San Frontieres. A b+c friend is championing this unique knitting project. All money raised goes to MSF, an extremely worthwhile organisation. You can read about our friend, Lou who is featured this week knitting in Egypt by visiting the p/hop blog!

The idea of p/hop is to donate based on how many hours of pleasure you get from knitting your free pattern, which have been generously donated by designers. There is no set price to a pattern - you can give as much or as little as you like! 

We wish the p/hop team all the best in their attendance at their upcoming festivals. For those who are keen to jump on board do sign up - the world needs more knitters and MSF needs your support so they can continue to provide medical aid to those who need it most! 

world malaria day

Each 30 seconds, a child dies from malaria. Each of these deaths is avoidable. Join the world’s largest international effort to end malaria deaths. The countdown has begun.

25 April is a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world. This year's World Malaria Day marks a critical moment in time. The international malaria community has merely two years to meet the 2010 targets of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria, as called for by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon.

The next two years present a rare window of opportunity to save a million lives by rapidly delivering malaria interventions - protective nets, diagnostic tests, antimalarial drugs and indoors spraying - to all people at risk of the disease and to pave the way towards virtually ending deaths by 2015.

You can read more at the Roll Back Malaria website here.

This is also an interesting and tragic story of Briton Harry Yirrel who was volunteering in Ghana.  For all of us fortunate enough to be travelling in endemic areas there could not be a more compelling and convincing reminder to take your malaria prophylactics...

world aids day

Today marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. In 1988, the World Health Organization declared the first World AIDS Day in an effort to raise public awareness about HIV/AIDS issues, including the need for support and understanding for people living with HIV/AIDS. The day is also an opportunity to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and to highlight the need for continued development of education and prevention initiatives.

Funds raised support services for people living with HIV/AIDS, related medical and counselling services, support and peer education groups.

Red ribbons are available from selected retailers so jump up and buy one now in support of this worthy cause.

hospital by the river

This book is on the top shelf of the bricks + cartwheels ever growing library. Adding to our list of inspirational women is the story of Catherine Hamlin and the women of Ethiopia. If ever there was a story of suffering this one will make you stop and think just how lucky women in the developing world are... however this story gives you the hope that their are people out there closing this gap.

Gynaecologists Catherine and Reg Hamlin left Australia in 1959 on a short contract to establish a midwifery school in Ethiopia. Over 40 years later, Catherine is still there, running one of the most outstanding medical programs in the world. Through this work thousands of women have been able to resume a normal existence after living as outcasts, cured of the horrible obstetric fistula. The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately 2 million women have untreated fistula and that approximately 100,000 women develop fistula each year. Fistula is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has treated over 30,000 women over 33 years. Their cure rate is over 90%. Fistula can be prevented if laboring women are provided with adequate emergency obstetric care when complications arise.

For more information about the awe inspiring work of Catherine Hamlin visit the Fistula Foundation site.